The present invention relates in general to an apparatus for installation on a pipe and in particular to an apparatus employed in the restraint of connected pipes to prevent the separation thereof.
A conventional connection that joins two adjacent pipes in a fluid-transporting pipeline system is sometimes subjected to internal hydrostatic pressure and/or other external and/or internal forces that tend to deflect or separate one pipe from the other. To combat this separation, a pipe-restraining assembly may be installed across the connection between the two pipes to penetratingly engage and maintain the pipes in a fixed position relative to each other.
However, a typical pipe-restraining assembly may not be suitable for all types of pipe materials. That is, the ability of the pipe-restraining assembly to penetratingly engage and restrain a pipe is dependent upon the pipe surface having a material hardness that is relatively low. Thus, the pipe-restraining assembly may not be able to prevent the axial separation of pipes having relatively high material hardness levels.
Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus for installation on a pipe and an accompanying method that, among other things, may be used to overcome the above-described problem.